Price tag holder



June 2, 1953 M. ORLIN 2,640,288

PRICE TAG HOLDER Filed Sept. 17, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. flax firiz'iz June 2, 1953 M. ORLIN 2,640,288

PRICE TAG HOLDER Filed Sept, 17, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 2, 1953 UNITED i A i'ENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

This invention relates to price tag holders, and more particularly to such holders formed of plastic material.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide novel and improved price tag holders having characteristics adapting them for a plurality of uses, mountings and functions.

More particularly it is an object of the present invention to provide a price tag holder formed of molded, extruded or fabricated plastic and having means for holding and presenting price tags in a plurality of positions as well as providing support for additional sign material or the like.

One of the important features of the present invention comprises the use of a transparent plastic whereby removable price tags may be positioned behind the tag holder where they are protected against damage, soiling, accidental removal and the like.

Another important feature of the invention resides in the provision of a price tag holder capable of multiple use as on the edge of a shelf, as an easel ateither of two different angles, on the neck of a bottle or the like.

Important additions to the basic form of the price tag holder includes means for the reception of attaching devices for securing the holder to shelf edges, bottle necks and the like.

Added functions above those of holding price tags and signs include guarding the edges of shelves against slipping of articles therefrom, while still permitting the dual support of price tags and signs.

Other and further objects and features of the present invention will be more apparent to those skilled in the art upon a consideration of the accompanying drawings and following specification wherein are disclosed several exemplary embodiments of the invention, with the understanding that such changes may be made therein as fall within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

. In said drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a molded or extruded strip of price tag holding molding capable of being cut into sections of any desired length;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section through a shelf with the present invention arranged as an easel displaying the price tag in substantially a vertical plane and visible through the material of the holder.

Fig. 4. shows a second easel arrangement which the price tag is displayed in more nearly a horizontal plane;

Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate in perspective views and on an enlarged scale two arrangements for receiving fastening means for removably attaching a price tag holder to a shelf;

Fig. 7 is a top plan view showing a price ta holder modified for attachment to the neck of a bottle and shown in position thereon;

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of a fragment of a bottle having a price tag holder constructed in accordance with Fig. 7 applied thereto, the

tag being shown in vertical section on line 8-8 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged view, partly in section, showing the method of attaching a button to the end of the helical spring which surrounds the bottle neck;

Fig. 10 is an end elevation of a price tag holder showing a Slight modification having only a single tag holding face; and

Fig. 11 is a still further modification devoid of the easel features.

In many stores and shops it is the practice to indicate the price of goods by small printed'price' tags set on, resting against or attached to the edge of a shelf on which the articles are displayed.

on thin Celluloid or plastic. Some means must be provided to hold these assembled and at tached to the shelf or to the goods. In accordance with the present invention, a novel form of price tag holder is provided, formed from plastic and preferably fully transparent. plastic may be fabricated from sheet plastic, cast or molded to individual price tag holder units, or may be extruded in continuous lengths such as shown in Fig. l, and cut up into sections or,

ing the same clean, painted and undamaged. The

In particular in chain grocery stores the price tags are formed by combining the nec-' essary number of individual digit units printed Such thin folded edges used for holding the tags often become bent by being struck by articles being removed from or placed on the shelves and the device is then useless. Furthermore, these metal holders permit the price tags to be placed only on their front face where they are subject to soilage or damage, accidental or even intentional displacement or exchange, and the like.

By making the price tag holder of the present invention transparent the numbers can be placed behind the same and viewed through the main portion thereof and are thus protected against all but the most flagrant intentional misuse.

Referring now to the drawings and first to Figs. 1 and 2, it will be seen that the price tag holder or the molding from which individual holder units are formed, comprises a relatively thin main sheet ll] of transparent plastic material preferably molded integral with the parts to be subsequently described. Such parts include the lower T head l2 having the overhanging flanges [3 on both front and back to receive the edges of flexible price tags, such as l 4. Similar flanges i5-l5 are provided at the opposite edge of the sheet ID for the same purpose. To prevent accidental longitudinal slippage of the price tags and to bow them as shown so that they are more readily grasped for removal, continuous ridges such as [6 are formed closely adjacent the inner edges of the flanges l3 and I5. In the absence of such ridges, cutting the tags to the proper width will also produce similar bowing thereof.

At the upper portion as viewed in Figs. 1 and 2, the width or thickness of the article as determined by flanges I5l5 is continued upward for a considerable distance to form the head portion I8, which is vertically slotted from the upper edge as at I9 to receive the lower edge of a card, sign or the like, which may designate the name, quality or other characteristics of the goods being offered. Rear wing l8 of this top has formed integral therewith a rearwardly projecting flange tapered in thickness to a relatively sharp edge as shown. The angle between the under face of this flange and the face of part 18' is preferably 90, thus permitting convenient mounting of the price tag holder at the forward edge of a shelf 22, as seen in Fig. 2. It may be attached permanently to the shelf by brads or cement or removably in any convenient way, such, for instance, as to be later described in connection with Figs. 5 and 6. The underface of flange 20 rests on the upper surface of the shelf and its sloping upper face 2| prevents articles from sliding off the shelf by vibration or the like even in the absence of a card in slot I9. Such card 23, however, increases the security of the goods on the shelf.

If the shelf is thick, as shown, its lower edge may be chamfered as shown to make more readily available the space behind the portion In in the event tags are to be there positioned for greater security, as previously described. Such rearward positioning of the price tag l4 so that it must be read through the flat section II] is shown in Fig. 3.

In some cases where goods are stacked on a table or on low shelves it is convenient to have a price tag holder in the form of an easel and sections of the device just described can without change be used in such a manner as illustrated in Fig. 3 by merely inverting to allow it to rest on the sloping top face 2! of flange 20, which tilts back the main portion to offer a better view of the price tag to the urchaser.

If desired a package 26 resting on the same table may extend over the flange 20 for added security to the tag holder.

Where the goods are placed quite well below the eye level it is sometimes advantageous to have the price tag more nearly in a horizontal plane, in which case the tag holder of the present invention is arranged as in Fig. 4 with the tip of the flange 20 and the lower corner of the rear flange l3 both resting on the table surface or on the article to which the price applies. This provides an unusually stable arrangement and also permits the use of the slot I9 if desired. In any of the uses thus far defined and those to be later described the price tag can be either at the front or the rear face of the portion In as desired.

While the price tag holder will hang on the edge of a shelf as illustrated in Fig. 2, or can be cemented or tacked thereto, it is often more convenient to provide some attaching means so it will be removable but not be accidentally displaced. An ordinary wood screw with a flat or round head may be partially inserted in the top face of the shelf to be received in a T slot 30, such as shown in Fig. 5, in the flange 20 of the holder. When the shank of the screw reaches the transverse portion 32 of the slot the tag holder is slid longitudinally to locate the screw at one end of the T head.

In Fig. 6 the rearwardly extending portion of the slot is eliminated and the center of the longi tudinal portion is enlarged in a circular form, as shown at 34, to slip over the head of a screw vertically. Thereafter longitudinal movement places the narrow portion of the slot beneath the screw head but insures tightness and permits removal when desired.

Should it be desired to apply price tag holders of the present type to the necks of bottles, to the handles of brooms, rakes or the like, a slight modification, such as illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7, is resorted to. In this case flange 20 has a large arcuate notch 40 out deeply therein so as to fit conveniently over the neck of the bottle and about other cylindrical objects. A length of close wound helical spring 42 is arranged to extend around the bottle neck and its ends pass through holes 43 drilled in the flange 20. Enlarged buttons 44 are attached to the ends of the spring, as seen in Fig. 9', by having shanks 45 with reduced necks 46 which are pressed into the coils of the spring and the end oonvolutions squeezed down into the neck. These heads insure that the spring ends will not be pulled through the openings 43. Because of the substantial right angle bends which occur just below these openings, when the spring is positioned on a neck, these ends may be pulled up as much as desired and will lock in the holes, thus adapting the device to fit various sized necks without unduly stretching the spring. Moreover the bends in the spring serve to hold the tag holder tightly down on the neck.

In Fig. 10 is shown a slight modification wherein only front overhanging flanges 13' and 15' are provided, permitting the mounting of the price tags only on the forward face of the tag holder surface. In this case the head portion of the holder is somewhat thinner but is still equipped with slot [9' for holding signs and the like. This form is cheaper and lighter and can be made of non-transparent plastic.

In Fig. 11 is shown a still further embodiment which has the lower construction and upper slot the same as the embodiment of Figs. 1 and 2, but in place of the right angled tapered flange 20 of the preferred form, the back wall It of slot I9 is extended upwardly beyond the front wall and may be horizontally perforated at 5| to receive a fastening device for mounting the holder on a shelf edge. This arrangement can be mounted entirely below the top edge of the shelf if desired, or may be allowed to protrude somewhat to provide edge protection.

The holders may also be equipped with suitable pins or the like to be accommodated in meats, cheese, cakes, etc. as will be obvious.

Obviously the devices may be made in any length or size and instead of being formed by molding or extruding could be built up from strips of plastic sheet suitably attached by adhesives or the like. Likewise instead of using mechanical fastening means for attaching to shelves any suitable form of glue or cement may be utilized.

I claim:

1. A price tag holder of the type described including in combination, a main transparent body sheet of substantially uniform thickness, a T- head at each longitudinal edge of said sheet, each head having shallow edge flanges directed over and substantially paralleling the sheet faces and only slightly spaced therefrom to provide cooperating tag holder grooves for each face of the body sheet, one of said heads being extended coextensive with the width of the sheet and having a longitudinal slot therein to hold a card entirely above and substantially in the same plane as the price tag on the main body sheet, the outer edge of one wall of said slot supporting a lateral flange whose under surface extends at a right angle to the plane of the body sheet, the upper face of said lateral flange converging to meet the under surface thereof at a sharp edge, said lateral flange adapted to rest on the upper surface of a shelf or to support the holder as an easel.

2. A price tag holder for use on bottles, etc. including in combination, a main body sheet of plastic, means near the edges of said sheet to hold a price tag therebetween, a lateral flange extending from the body sheet adjacent one edge, a deep notch in said flange and a flexible, extensible hanger having its ends secured to said flange near the longitudinal terminations of said notch.

3. The price tag holder as defined in claim 2 in which the hanger is a section of close wound helical spring.

4. The price tag holder as defined in claim 2 in which the main body sheet is transparent and the tag supporting means are on the face thereof which is overhung by the said flange.

5. The price tag holder as defined in claim 2 in which the upper edge of the body sheet is slotted longitudinally to hold a card above the price tag.

6. A price tag holder of the type described, including in combination, a main body sheet of transparent plastic of substantially uniform thickness, means near the opposite edges of said sheet to hold a price tag therebetween for viewing through the main body sheet, a lateral flange extending from near one edge of said sheet at substantially a right angle to the plane of the sheet, said flange having an arcuate notch therein to fit against a bottle neck and a loop of flexible material to surround said neck and having its ends secured to the holder.

MAX ORLIN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 540,493 I-Iumphries June 4, 1894 1,259,337 Agnew Mar. 12, 1918 1,347,233 Shuman July 20, 1920 1,367,588 Cook Feb. 8, 1921 1,512,395 Brigel Oct. 21, 1924 1,817,151 Jarvis Aug. 4, 1931 2,027,517 Cobbs Jan. 14, 1936 2,190,958 Vander Clute Feb. 20, 1940 2,340,421 Obrist Feb. 1, 1944 2,527,900 Warmath Oct. 31, 1950 2,588,635 Junkin Mar. 11, 1952 2,595,530 Kuefner May 6, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 86,114 Switzerland Sept. 22, 1919 OTHER REFERENCES Page 69 of Display World April 1, 1949. 

